On Sunday January 7th Seaside Aquarium staff were alerted that a live sea turtle had washed ashore on Manzanita beach. When staff arrived they were surprised by the turtle's small size. This little squirt was only 22 pounds, making it one of the smallest turtles seen. She was very active, moving her head up and down and when picked up would move her flippers as if she was swimming. She was taken back to the Seaside Aquarium and set up for transfer to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.
Upon arrival at the Oregon Coast Aquarium she was still very active. While the turtle still has a long road ahead of her, staff at Seaside Aquarium said they are very optimistic about her recovery and are super thankful for the staff at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Squirt is a green sea turtle. Green sea turtles are found throughout the world. They nest in over 80 counties and live in the coastal waters of more than 140 countries. Living upto and beyond 70 years they can weigh 300 to 350 pounds. In the eastern North Pacific they have been sighted as far north as southern Alaska.
Essentially, sea turtles forage for food in an offshore, warm water current. Weather conditions, such as a long, constant string of south-southwesterly winds, can drive the warm water current and the turtles further north and closer to shore than normal. When the weather conditions suddenly change, the warm waters quickly dissipate and the turtles find themselves trapped in the colder waters of the natural currents running along the Oregon and Washington Coasts.
When this happens, their bodies slow down and they become hypothermic. Those that can make it to shore ‘haul’ out to get out of the cold water, but the winter conditions on the beach are rarely more hospitable. When found on the beach, it can be difficult to determine if a sea turtle is dead or alive. A turtle suffering from extreme hypothermia can be unresponsive to touch and have a heartbeat so slow and weak that it is difficult to detect. Most sea turtles found on Oregon and Washington shores do not survive, even if found and recovered quickly.
Those that do live are taken to one of two licensed rehab facilities on the Northwest Coast; the Oregon Coast Aquarium or the Seattle Aquarium. When stabilized which, if successful, can take up to a few weeks, the turtle is transferred to a center in California, where it will be released back into the wild. Remember, if you find a sea turtle on the beach, immediately note its location, remain nearby to observe it, and contact the Oregon State Police Tipline at 800-452-7888 or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network (MMSN) in Oregon, Washington, and California at 1-866-767-6114.
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